The Kate Middleton bikini photo saga continues...
The latest update comes straight from Chi magazine, the Italian publication that just yesterday ran pictures of the duchess wearing a bikini while vacationing in Mustique. Alfonso Signorini, Chi's editor-in-chief, has spoken out in defense of their decision to publish the baby bump-baring photos. Us Weekly obtained a statement from Signorini:
"We cannot talk about a violation of privacy when we publish pictures of public people in a public place. The photographs of Kate and William were bought from an international photo agency. You can't compare this with the media persecution of Lady Diana. I cannot stress enough that the photos were taken in a public place, not private property."
Lest you forget, Chi magazine was among the publications that also published the now-infamous topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge while sunbathing on private property in France back in September. These recent photos, however, pose a different question since, as Signorini states, they were taken in the same manner that all standard paparazzi photos are taken -- not with a long-lens camera like the topless incident.
To make matters more complex, Signorini's mention of Princess Diana is a chilling reminder of the magazine's controversial decision to run photos of the late royal in the moments just before her death in 1997. Despite the backlash at Chi's most recent editorial decision, the editor remains unapologetic.
"[The Italian press] has not made a gentlemen's agreement [like the U.K.] with the Royal Household," Signorini told Us Weekly. "Where is this so-called scandal they are trying to make it out as?"
Clearly, these latest developments have created even more of a gray area regarding media coverage of royals. Are the pictures from Kate's so-called babymoon a breach of privacy? Or are photos taken of a public figure in a public space fair game for magazine editors?
See some of the best pictures of Kate Middleton:
